tumble
/'tʌmbl/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A sudden fall: A quick, often uncontrolled, drop from a standing or high position to the ground.
- A state of disorder or confusion: A messy, untidy, or chaotic condition.
- An acrobatic roll: A gymnastic or playful movement involving rolling end over end.
Verb:
- To fall suddenly and uncontrollably: To drop or fall quickly, often head over heels.
- To roll or somersault: To perform a rolling movement, either in play, gymnastics, or by accident.
- To decrease rapidly and sharply: To decline suddenly in value, amount, or intensity.
- To understand suddenly: To grasp a concept or realize something after a period of confusion.
- To move in a hurried, clumsy, or disorderly way: To move or rush in a confused, rolling, or tumbling manner.
- To cause to fall or collapse: To push or knock something over.
- To dry clothes in a machine: To dry laundry in a rotating dryer.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- He took a nasty tumble on the icy sidewalk.
- The room was in a tumble of clothes and books.
- The gymnast performed a perfect tumble across the mat.
Verb:
- The child tumbled off the bed.
- The puppies tumble over each other while playing.
- Stock prices tumbled after the news report.
- I finally tumbled to what she was hinting at.
- The children tumbled out of the school bus.
- The strong wind tumbled the patio furniture.
- Remember to tumble dry these towels on low heat.
Advanced Usage
"to take a tumble": To experience a fall, either physically or metaphorically (e.g., in status or value).
- After the scandal, the politician's reputation took a tumble.
"tumble to": To suddenly understand or realize something (often informal).
- It took me a minute to tumble to the fact that it was a surprise party.
Variants and Related Words
- Tumbler (n):
- A drinking glass with a flat bottom.
- A person or thing that tumbles, especially a gymnast.
- A part of a lock or a type of acrobatic pigeon.
- Tumbling (n): The activity or sport of performing acrobatic rolls and springs.
Synonyms
- Fall (v): To drop or come down freely.
- Plummet (v): To fall or drop straight down at high speed.
- Spill (v/n): To fall or cause to fall out of a container; a fall.
- Roll (v): To move by turning over and over.
- Understand (v): To grasp the meaning of.
Related Phrasal Verbs
Tumble down: To fall or collapse, especially a structure.
- The old barn tumbled down in the storm.
Tumble out: To exit or emerge in a disorderly, hurried rush.
- Fans tumbled out of the stadium after the game.
Tumble into: To fall or get into something, often by accident or clumsily.
- Exhausted, she tumbled into bed.
Related Idioms
Rough and tumble: Boisterous, disorderly, and physically active behavior or situation.
- Politics is often a rough and tumble business.
Tumble from grace: To lose one's high status or good reputation suddenly.
- The CEO tumbled from grace after the fraud was discovered.
Noun
- a sudden drop from an upright position
- he had a nasty spill on the ice
- an acrobatic feat of rolling or turning end over end
Verb
- do gymnastics, roll and turn skillfully
- suffer a sudden downfall, overthrow, or defeat
- put clothes in a tumbling barrel, where they are whirled about in hot air, usually with the purpose of drying
- Wash in warm water and tumble dry
- fall suddenly and sharply
- Prices tumbled after the devaluation of the currency
- understand, usually after some initial difficulty
- She didn't know what her classmates were plotting but finally caught on
- throw together in a confused mass
- They tumbled the teams with no apparent pattern
- fall apart
- the building crumbled after the explosion
- Negotiations broke down
- fly around
- The clothes tumbled in the dryer
- rising smoke whirled in the air
- roll over and over, back and forth
- cause to topple or tumble by pushing
- fall down, as if collapsing
- The tower of the World Trade Center tumbled after the plane hit it